Del Oro's Heyn caps impressive run at Masters

Tony Pugliani/Special to the JournalDel?Oro High sophomore Amy Heyn battled in the 1,600 meters Friday at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters meet in Elk Grove, placing fourth.

Tony Pugliani/Special to the JournalDel Oro High sophomore ran an exhausting double with the 1,600 meters and the 800 Friday in Elk Grove.

ELK GROVE ? Amy Heyn was an unknown junior varsity runner in 2011, seemingly years away from running on track?s biggest stage in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
But there she was Friday night, rubbing elbows ? literally ? with the top middle distance runners in the region. The Del Oro High sophomore got an education in racing at the Masters meet.
?It was really exicting,? Heyn said between running the 1,600 meters and the 800. ?Just coming here and doing well is really exciting. I?m happy about that.?
Heyn was a contender for a CIF State Championship berth in both events. In the mile, a huge pack of runners stuck to a slow pace for two laps before taking off, causing one Oak Ridge runner to get tripped up, and leaving Heyn in a tough position.
?I was almost boxed in there and I started to panic,? Heyn admitted. ?We were all clumped up for the first two laps, but I think I ended the race well.?
Heyn placed fourth in the 1,600 and is an alternate for the state meet on Friday in Clovis. She had a time of 5:16.66.
In the 800, Heyn couldn?t keep up with the quick pace and trailed most of the way to finish eighth with a time of 2:20.66.
The young Del Oro runner is excited about the coming years after making a remarkable leap between her freshman and sophomore seasons.
?I just started working harder, putting in the time before the season getting ready,? Heyn said. ?And in practice, I just put it all out there every day.?